Connecticut Bars Over 6,000 Citizens from Voting
Connecticut still denies the right to vote to 6,892 people even after state lawmakers restored voting rights for people on parole in 2021.
Related to: Voting Rights, Racial Justice, State Advocacy
Connecticut still denies the right to vote to 6,892 people even after state lawmakers restored voting rights for people on parole in 2021. Almost 44% of Connecticut residents disenfranchised due to felony convictions are Black and 28% are Latinx. While Connecticut incarcerates 2,000 fewer people than at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disproportionate incarceration of people of color persists.
To ameliorate this racial injustice and protect its democratic values, Connecticut lawmakers should follow the lead of Maine, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. and extend voting rights to all citizens with felony convictions, regardless of their current incarceration status.
